


The Truth

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: B.A.R.F. | Binarily Augmented Retro Framing, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Rhodey Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 01:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12400191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After the dust settles, Tony is left trying to sort out the mess the video in Siberia caused in his head.





	The Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Just something that I needed to write to get out my Tony Stark and his relationship with his parents head-canon. Now I’ve never read any of the comics, don’t even read about them so this is just inspired by what I’ve seen in MCU and read in other’s fanfics. But the truth is, the relationship has always confused me. But I think this is the best way I’ve been able to explain it to myself, based on evidence in the films and many 2am thoughts.

Tony stands and stares. 

The room is white. White walls and a white ceiling. The floor is white and the basic shapes that make the vague outline of furniture are white. 

Tony hesitates, the glasses hanging in a loose grip at his side. 

_I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but he wasn’t my biggest fan._

With a small sigh, Tony lifts the glasses to his face and lets them settle over his eyes. The scene takes a while to form, little blue lines of the digital interface searching and latching onto a memory before realizing it before his very eyes.  

The room has become darker, the bright white replaced with warm wooden tones and huge floor to ceiling windows, letting in the night time lights of New York city. 

“Tony what are you doing back there?" 

Howard’s tone isn’t sharp but it still makes Tony flinch. He watches as his younger self pauses, arms still held aloft from where he had been lifting one of model buildings and fixes onto his dad with a wary hesitance. 

"Put it back from where you got it from.” Now Howard’s voice begins to rise, pointing with a sharp movement to the model of Stark Expo. 

“Where’s your Mother? Maria?!" 

Tony remembers the rejection. How small he felt getting picked up by one of the crew who had been helping film the Stark Expo intro. A stranger that showed more compassion than his father ever had. 

How he had found his Mother afterwards and just sat with her while she played a soft melody on the piano. 

With a sigh, Tony takes a step forward, removing the glasses as he goes. The scene dissolves back into the white that feels almost too bright after the muted tones of the memory. 

_He was cold, he was calculating. He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me._

Reaching the other side of the room, Tony turns. Its a technique he had learned when he had first started to develop the B.A.R.F technology. After Ultron. After learning that it was his memories, his state of mind that brought about Ultron, and subsequently caused more people to lose their lives. 

Looking at the room from a different angle, Tony replaces the glasses onto his face, this time directing the technology by thinking about the memory he wanted to be shown. 

Camera’s are flashing, the room a bustle of noise and people walking this way and that way. Young Tony glances around, eyes wide and scared. There’s a woman crouching next to him, whispering words that were probably supposed to be comforting. But Tony doesn’t remember them that way. Tony remembers that he had hardly heard the words at all, just remembered thinking that he wished she would stand up so the strong scent of her too flowery perfume wouldn’t be quite so overpowering. She never did, not until- 

"Alright, I’ll take him." 

Howard strides into the room and places a hand on Tony’s shoulder. The weight is heavy and warm and a comfort in the strangeness that is happening around him. The next hour or so blurs together. Tony doesn’t really remember much of the photo shoot. Just trying to concentrate on the photographers words and not blink as flash after flash goes off. But his father’s weight, steady and strong as he sits on the motorbike behind Tony is always there and at the end, the hand appears on his shoulder again and Tony turns. Howard, his father is smiling down at him. It’s quick, there and gone again before Howard is getting off the motorbike and saying he has places to be. But Tony’s responding smile doesn’t leave his face for the rest of the day. 

Again Tony takes off the glasses. Closing his eyes he pinches the bridge of his nose. Two contrasting memories. One he had buried and the other he had allowed to fester, to turn to anger and hatred. 

"Tones?" 

The voice is soft and inquisitive. Tony looks up and is un-surprised to see Rhodey in the doorway. He’s in the wheelchair, the braces and the physiotherapy still a work in process for the man. 

"Just working through a few things,” Tony replies and begins to stride towards Rhodey and the exit of the Barf room. 

“So I can see,” Rhodey replies and Tony has to smile. Rhodey’s voice still has that no nonsense tone about it, the one that Tony has known since college and Rhodey would sit in “The Chair” and get Tony to talk about his feelings. 

“So how come you don’t talk about that photo shoot?” Rhodey wheels along beside Tony, keeping up even as Tony strides down the halls of the Compound. 

Tony doesn’t answer, not until he’s by the bar in his study and he reaches for a bottle of scotch, pauses and pours some spring water into a glass instead. 

He slumps into the sofa kept against one of the walls of his office and presses the cold glass to his forehead. Using the Barf technology always leaves him with headaches, even if it was just light usage. It’s one of the kinks he needs to work on before being able to release it for use in hospitals and clinics. 

“Tony,” Rhodey’s voice is gentle yet still maintains the you’re not going to bullshit you’re way out of avoiding this tone, Tony hates and yet kind of doesn’t. 

Tony sighs and leans his head back against the leather cushions. 

“I don’t hate them Rhodes,” he admits quietly. 

Rhodey is quiet for a beat and then, “I never believed you did." 

"I wanted to hate them.” Tony pauses, takes a sip of water and then presses the glass back to his forehead. “It was easier to hate them.” The words come out of him broken and harsh. 

“It was easier to remember the times when Howard would look down at me like I was an object, barely human, let alone his son.”

Rhodey stays quiet and Tony takes a breath. “If I remembered all the bad stuff, I could blame them. Every shitty decision I’ve made, every decision I took that ended up a mistake, I could blame it on them. They were shitty parents. They weren’t there for me when I was a child so I turned to drinks and drugs and woman. But in the end they were still my decisions. My own shitty decision and there’s no one to blame but myself.” Tony lets out a scoff. 

Sighing he sinks further into the couch and shuts his eyes. Beside him he hears Rhodey heave his own sigh and the whir of wheels moving across the floor. The next moment the cushions next to him are dipping down and there is a groan as Rhodey heaves himself onto the couch and maneuvers his legs out of the chair. 

“Tony,” Rhodey begins but Tony cuts across him. “It’s fine Rhodey, I’m dealing with it." 

"I never said you weren’t,” Rhodey begins again. “And I actually think you’re making the right decision." 

"What?” Tony snaps his eyes open at that. Rhodey is giving him an amused look. “Yeah, I said it,” Rhodey says. “Tony Stark makes a mature decision in regards to his emotional well-being. Should be good for tomorrow’s headlines, what do you think?”

Tony snorts a laugh and closes his eyes again. “Thanks,” he says. 

“But seriously Tones,” Rhodey says. “You can talk to me as well. To me… and Pepper." 

"No, don’t even start,” Rhodey continues, predicting Tony’s protests. “Whatever you two are going through at the moment, I know Pepper. And if you think she’s going to stop being your friend, than you’re even dumber than I thought you were." 

"Hey,” Tony protests weakly. “I’m a genius,"he says but smiles. 

Rhodey chuckles. "Then start acting like one. Talk to us about them. Tell us about how much he was a dick. Tell us about how he showed he did care in his own way. Tell us about your Mother, and her music and her art. Just talk to us Tones, about the good and the bad." 

Tony swallows around a lump in his throat. He nods, not trusting himself to speak and a warm weight settles on his thigh. Rhodey squeezes once before letting go. 

"Good,” Rhodey says. “And by the way, Happy says he has more reports for you about the Spider-kid, and sorry man, but he sounds kind of stressed. Whatever made you think Happy was fit to deal with a hyperactive teenage superhero?” 


End file.
